At school pickup, my parents rolled down the window and told my 6-year-old to “walk home in the rain like a stray.” That night I opened my banking app and ended four years of funding their life Mrs. Patterson calls at 3:47 p.m. Her voice is tight. “Honey, your little girl is standing in a downpour by the gate. Your parents just drove off.” I leave a budget meeting without an apology and hit the road blind through sheets of rain. When I reach Metobrook Elementary, I spot Lily under Mrs. Patterson